Re: Ken's oil for brooms deal: fuel for us, a clean-up for Caracas

By Aleksander Boyd

London 13.09.06 | Dear Sir, In "Ken's oil for brooms deal: fuel for us, a clean-up for Caracas" Mr. Hugh Muir argues that Caracas was to "...benefit from the capital's expertise in policing, tourism, transport, housing and waste disposal" (sic) in reference to a barter deal that Livingstone's and Chavez's officials were in the process of finishing.

Additionally Mr. Muir does make the following remark "Details of the deal under discussion emerged in a memo seen by the Guardian that described the progress of meetings between the mayor's most senior officials, embassy officials and figures from PDV UK, the Venezuelan state oil company." (sic).

As the source of such memo I believe a correction is in order for in the second page of the memo, where it refers to the benefits to be accrued by the parties involved (s. b) it is explicitly stated that the programme -which would be heavily publicised via a well articulated campaign designed by the Greater London Authority and to be plastered in London's bus fleet- will benefit the image of the government of Venezuela.

Mr Muir argument that Caracas or Venezuela are to benefit from this oil-for-propaganda programme, after having seen the memos, is, at best, intellectually dishonest for the intention to promote the image of Hugo Chavez is patently clear throughout the document.